September, 2018

ATLANTA – A hospital in Atlanta is preparing to treat its third Ebola patient.

Emory University Hospital said in a news release that a person who had contracted the disease was expected to arrive in Atlanta on Tuesday. The hospital said the patient would be treated in its isolation unit.

Last month, two aid workers who contracted Ebola while working in Liberia were treated successfully at Emory. Another patient, an American doctor, is being treated in Nebraska.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. James Wilson said the latest patient would be flown into Dobbins Air Reserve Base outside Atlanta.

The World Health Organization said Monday that one of its doctors working in an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone had tested positive for the disease and was to be evacuated. The patient’s identity has not been released.

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KIEV, Ukraine – The city council of Donetsk, a rebel-held stronghold in eastern Ukraine, says that regular shelling continued overnight despite a cease-fire in the region, injuring one woman.

In a statement published online Tuesday, the council said a school and several residential buildings were hit by shelling, imperiling an already shaky cease-fire between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces.

On Tuesday the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Vitaly Andronaty, director of medicine for Ukraine’s ministry of defence, as saying that four servicemen had died and 29 had been injured since the start of the cease-fire Friday.

Both sides have blamed each other for repeated violations of the cease-fire.

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WATCH: A preliminary report on the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 found there was no warning before the plane was hit by multiple high-velocity objects. Mike Armstrong has the details.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was likely struck by multiple “high-energy objects from outside the aircraft,” causing it to break up over eastern Ukraine, a preliminary report into the deadly aviation disaster concluded Tuesday.

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The report by the Dutch Safety Board stopped short of saying the Boeing 777 was shot down by a missile, but its findings appear to point to that conclusion. It also did not say who might have been responsible.

READ MORE: Malaysia prepares to mourn as bodies from plane shot down return home

The Boeing 777 suddenly plunged out of the sky July 17 over pro-Russian rebel-held territory in Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

“The damage observed in the forward section of the aircraft appears to indicate that the aircraft was penetrated by a large number of high-energy objects from outside the aircraft,” the report said. “It is likely that this damage resulted in a loss of structural integrity of the aircraft, leading to an in-flight break up.”

WATCH: Tjibbe Joustra, chair of the Dutch Safety Board, outlines the report’s main findings including that Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was likely downed by ‘high-energy objects’.

The board is leading the international investigation into the cause of the disaster. Its full report is expected within a year of the crash.

“The initial results of the investigation point toward an external cause of the MH17 crash,” the board’s chairman, Tjibbe Joustra, said in a statement. “More research will be necessary to determine the cause with greater precision. The Safety Board believes that additional evidence will become available for investigation in the period ahead.”

Christopher Yates, an aviation safety specialist at Yates Consulting, told the AP the report “is extremely consistent with damage from a missile for the simple reason there are penetration marks.

“It must have been moving at very high velocity to create the damage,” he said. “It could only be a missile of the type that would reach the altitude that would have struck the aircraft, potentially a BUK missile.

WATCH: Malaysian officials comment on Dutch report that Flight MH17 was shot down

He said the report gave no indication whether the missile had been fired from the ground or from another aircraft, but it likely came from the ground as there were no military aircraft known to have been flying at the time. The missile could not have been shoulder-fired because it would not have reached the necessary altitude, he added.

Because of the ongoing conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces, investigators from the board have not visited the fields where the wreckage of Flight 17 plunged to the ground. That likely contributed to the board’s cautious assessment of what happened.

“Detailed examination of the structural damage is ongoing,” the report said. “Forensic examination will be performed if the wreckage can be removed.”

Investigators so far have studied photos of the crash site, radar data and information gleaned from the downed jet’s “black boxes” — its cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. They all indicated that there was no technical fault that may have caused the plane to disintegrate.

The cockpit voice recorder “revealed no signs of any technical faults or an emergency situation,” the Safety Board said. “Neither were any warning tones heard in the cockpit that might have pointed to technical problems.”

READ MORE: Missile shrapnel hit Malaysia Airlines, says Ukraine

Pro-Russian rebels officially deny having shot down the plane, but unofficially one senior rebel admitted they were behind a missile strike.

Just three hours before the plane was shot down above rebel-held territory in Eastern Ukraine, the Associated Press reported on the passage of a Buk M-1 missile system — a machine the size of a tank bearing four ground-to-air missiles — driving through the rebel-held town of Snizhne, near the crash site.

A highly placed rebel officer told the AP in an interview in the aftermath of the disaster that the plane was shot down by a mixed team of rebels and Russian military personnel who believed they were targeting a Ukrainian military plane.

Intercepted phone conversations between the rebels released by the Ukrainian government support that version of events.

In those tapes, the first rebels to reach the scene can be heard swearing when they see the number of bodies and the insignia of Malaysia Airlines.

BERWICK-UPON-TWEED, England – All Gavin Jones has to do is scan the shelves of his impossibly quaint shop on England’s border with Scotland to know he’ll have a big problem if the Scots declare independence next week.

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There are teddy bears in Campbell clan tartans and shelves of shortbread from Scotland — just above the red jams made in England. After independence, the Scottish goods would be subject to import duties, and customers would likely pay in two different currencies. Business in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England’s northernmost town, could soon be crushed by bank transaction costs.

“If Scotland chooses independence, it changes our concept of local,” he said. “There are then barriers put in place.”

READ MORE: UK offers Scotland more financial autonomy

Berwickers like to think of themselves as neither English nor Scottish. Little wonder: this enclave has changed hands 13 times over the centuries. But there is no getting away from the fact that the locals in Berwick (pronounced BEAR-ick) could be dramatically affected by the Sept. 18 referendum.

In that way, they are like the rest of Britain. While the vote may alter the balance of power in British politics, increase the likelihood that the U.K. will leave the European Union and weaken the nation’s economy and currency, the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland will have no say in the outcome. Only residents of Scotland are eligible to cast ballots.

Constitutional Chaos

Britain’s left-leaning Labour Party would be the biggest political victim of independence — it is often joked there are more pandas in Edinburgh’s zoo than there are Conservative Party lawmakers in Scotland. Scottish voters elected 41 Labour members of Parliament in the 2010 election and only one Conservative.

If the next general election due in May were held today, eliminating Scottish votes would give Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives a 37-seat majority win.

That could drag Britain toward yet another high-stakes vote — on whether the country as a whole should leave the EU. Cameron has promised a referendum to appease voters concerned about immigration and meddling by bureaucrats in Brussels. Scotland has been very pro-EU, so losing its votes would weaken the camp that wants Britain to stay.

Leaving the EU could have huge consequences for Britain. The EU guarantees freedom of movement for people, goods and money, a big advantage for companies that want to do business across the bloc, which with its 500 million people is the world’s largest combined economy. If Britain were to leave the bloc, multinational companies that have their EU headquarters in London — from Starbucks to many of the world’s biggest banks — may seek to relocate, taking money and jobs with them.

“These are very crucial times for the U.K.,” said Patrick Dunleavy, a professor of political science at the London School of Economics. “The U.K. has been united for 300 years and it’s been in the European Union since 1973. These two referenda, plus the general election all coming very close together, one way or another, we’re going to have five years of constitutional chaos.”

Financial Unknown

More immediately, the loss of Scotland could hurt Britain through the amount of financial uncertainty it would generate over the next 18 months — the time it would take Scotland to sever its ties with Britain. During that period, policymakers would have to agree on whether Scotland would continue to use the pound as its currency as well as how to split British public debt and North Sea oil revenue.

The currency question is the murkiest. While independence leaders say they will continue to use the pound, politicians in London have ruled out a currency union.

“It would be a fairly long 18 months,” said Monique Ebell, an economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

Because the result of the talks would affect the value of the pound, foreign investors in Britain could delay big decisions — opening a factory, for example, or hiring new staff — until a time when they can better gauge the risks and costs.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs last week warned that while there was no reason an independent Scotland couldn’t prosper in the long-run, “in the short-to-medium-term, the consequences of a surprise ‘Yes’ vote for the Scottish economy, and for the U.K. more broadly, could be severely negative.”

Kevin Daly, Goldman Sachs’ chief U.K. economist, said that uncertainty about the pound’s future value could trigger a run on the currency. The Bank of England is working on contingency plans to manage the pound in the event of a Yes vote.

The potential for trouble was made clear on Monday, when the pound nosedived after a poll showed the No campaign had lost its lead. The pound shed two cents to trade at $1.6130, the lowest since November.

“Our base view is the proposal will be defeated,” said Bill O’Neill, the head of the U.K. investment office at UBS Wealth Management. “But clearly the market will be watching for the polls.”

The people of Berwick, meanwhile, are increasingly concerned. What would happen if there were suddenly a border between them and their Scottish neighbours? What happens if you suddenly need a passport to get across the few miles separating the town and Scotland?

In his shop, surrounded by items inspired as much by “Braveheart” as English icons like London phone booths, Gavin Jones can’t help but worry.

NEW YORK – Michael C. Hall’s next step is going to be a gender bending one — the former Dexter star will play the rock chanteuse at the centre of Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway.

Producers of the Tony Award-winning musical revival said Monday that Hall will pull on a miniskirt and play the German transsexual Hedwig at the Belasco Theatre starting Oct. 16, through Jan. 4.

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Hall will be taking over from Andrew Rannells, the Tony Award-nominated star of The Book of Mormon on Broadway and Girls. Rannells, in turn, replaced Tony-winner and How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris. Rannells ends his run Oct. 12.

Hall was one of an impressive quartet of actors on Broadway starring in Will Eno’s play The Realistic Joneses this spring. The former TV sociopath joined Toni Collette, Marisa Tomei and Tracy Letts.

Hall has sung onstage before: He took over from Alan Cumming as the white-faced emcee in the last revival of Cabaret, a part he played almost 500 times. Now he’ll be rocking out tunes including “Sugar Daddy” and “Wicked Little Town” in platform heels.

In his first Broadway show, he was an understudy in David Hare’s Skylight in 1996. His break-out roles — as a funeral director on Six Feet Under and then Dexter — earned Hall Emmy Award nominations.

CALGARY – The City of Calgary remains under a snowfall warning, with 10 to 15 cm expected on Tuesday.

It will be the second round of snow the city has seen in the last 24 hours.

A late summer snowfall that began on Monday morning covered the city as the day progressed.

READ MORE: GALLERY: First snowfall of the season hits Calgary

The Calgary Fire Department says they received at least 40 calls on Monday night – and just as many on Tuesday morning – after heavy wet snow collected on tree branches, causing them to snap and tumble to the ground.

Of everyone caught off guard by this #yyc snow, I think the trees got it the worst 🙁

— Candace (@CandaceBergen) September 9, 2014

Meanwhile, thousands of people in several different communities spent part of their evening in the dark because of downed power lines.

“If there are branches that are down on lines… it takes a crew to go out there have the power shut off, if it isn’t already, safely remove the trees or branches — and then move on and be able to reenergize the area,” explains Doris Kaufmann Woodcock, Enmax.

We are aware of some power outages and lights out. If you require police, pls call 403-266-1234. 4 way stop procedure applies. #yyc

— Calgary Police (@CalgaryPolice) September 9, 2014

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Enmax says crews continued to work non-stop repairing downed lines and restoring power on Tuesday.

CLICK HERE for a list of current power outages in Calgary.

Despite visibility being poor and streets being wet, Calgary police say there weren’t an abnormally high number of car crashes.

Environment Canada expects the snowfall will taper off Wednesday afternoon as the system moves south out of the province.

CLICK HERE to see the latest public weather alerts in Alberta.

To get your weather forecast on the go, download our Skytracker Weather App.

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WATCH: John Tory admits the need to ‘tunnel’ in order to complete SmartTrack plan

TORONTO – John Tory says he will do whatever it takes, even tunneling underground, to complete a portion of the west-end Toronto rail line for his SmartTrack transit plan.

“90 per cent of SmartTrack runs on existing GO train tracks and we knew the part to the west was the part where there are no GO train tracks,” Tory said in an interview with Global News.

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“If that involves tunneling in that area, then we’ll tunnel. The west end of it will be built because it’s going to make it more complete to the west end of the city, including out to the jobs in Mississauga.”

Tory responded to criticism from fellow mayoral candidate Olivia Chow after she said SmartTrack will take “heavy rail from Mount Dennis to Mississauga” right next to homes that will be built in the area.

“He says he won’t need to buy any properties. He says he won’t go near a street. So how will he get heavy rail from Mount Dennis to Mississauga?” Chow told reporters at the corner of Eglinton Avenue West and Widdicombe Hill Boulevard in Etobicoke Tuesday morning.

Tory said the cost of underground tunneling is already incorporated into the $8 billion price tag to electrify the GO train lines and buying new trains.

“We came up with an estimate per kilometre of construction,” he said.

Tory’s defense of his SmartTrack line comes on the same day he released a television advertisement campaign and an interactive website to convince voters about the benefits of his transit plan.

A digital tool called the ‘SmartTracker’ was launched that allows people to find out how much time it takes for them to travel from one destination to another.

The website claims commute times are estimated to be cut in half for some riders who travel from the west-end of the city towards downtown Toronto and from as far as northeast of Toronto to the city’s core.

“Commuters who live in Scarborough or Etobicoke and work downtown, for instance, who have to transfer from buses onto packed subway platforms, will save 20 or 30 minutes on a one way trip,” Tory said in a media release.

The so-called “SmartTrack” line is a two-way surface subway service Tory says will run all-day from around Pearson Airport in the west-end of the city to all the way northeast to Unionville, Markham.

“The numbers of how long it’s going to take to get from place to place comes from the GO electrification study,” Tory told Global News.

“They were trying to determine themselves in making the decision to electrifying the GO train lines consistent with provincial policy.”

READ MORE: Tory wants to exploit GO Transit lines

Tory says the cost to build and implement the 53 kilometres rail line will be split between the city, the province and the federal government.

“The $8 billion is the capital cost to electrifying the GO train lines, doing the work in the west end, buying the trains,” said Tory.

“The operating cost will be the responsibility of Metrolinx. The concept I’m going to champion with Metrolinx and provincial government is it be fare integrated with the TTC.”

Tory hopes to keep the cost of using the line equivalent to a $3 TTC fare.

Tory’s advertising campaign comes a week after Mayor Rob Ford announced his transit plan for an extensive subway expansion as a main campaign platform in his re-election bid.

Ford’s plan was largely criticized for being too costly and impractical.

His rapid transit vision would see 32 kilometres of new subways built across the city at a cost of $9 billion.

Meanwhile, Olivia Chow questioned both her adversaries plans based on funding models she says will ultimately lead to property tax increases for Toronto residents.

WATCH: Olivia Chow critical of John Tory’s SmartTrack plan

Chow also criticized how Tory’s SmartTrack plan would be built along routes requiring new infrastructure and the costs that will entail.

The former downtown Toronto federal MP said her transit plan includes spending $15 million to increase bus service, build light rail along Finch Avenue and Sheppard Avenue and have the Scarborough subway replaced with above ground rail.